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When Governments Fail, Communities Feed Themselves
- IamWANDA org
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
What the U.S. Can Learn from Sweden, England, and Belgium about Food, Health, and Humanity
“Food isn’t a line item — it’s a lifeline.”— Tambra Raye Stevenson, WANDA Founder
As Congress is in stalemate over a critical legislative battle resulting in an unrelenting government shutdown, more than 41 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will join the ranks of hunger felt around the world. The stakes couldn’t be higher. For millions of families, this isn’t political theater — it’s about what’s on the table tonight.
At WANDA, we know when government systems fail, Black women hold the line. We stretch the meal, tend the garden, start the supper club, and still show up to vote. But our survival shouldn’t depend on sacrifice — it should be protected by policy.
Across the globe, other nations prove what happens when governments treat food and health as rights, not privileges.
Sweden: Where Health Is a Right, Not a Debate
In Sweden, no one worries whether healthcare or child nutrition funding will “run out.” The government provides universal healthcare, paid parental leave, and school meals for every child.
The result:
Average life expectancy: 83 years (five years longer than Americans)
Maternal deaths: among the lowest in the world
Infant mortality: less than 2 per 1,000 births
Even African-born migrants in Sweden — despite challenges of discrimination and adjustment — fare better than African Americans on many health indicators. That’s not a matter of genes. It’s a matter of justice.
England: A Mirror with Cracks
In England, Black African immigrants once lived longer than White Britons. But their UK-born children now die at twice the rate of their parents.
This mirrors the U.S. pattern: African immigrants arrive healthy, but life expectancy declines the longer they face racism, economic precarity, and stress.
Universal healthcare helps — but when racism lives inside the system, coverage alone can’t heal inequality.
Belgium: The Myth of the “Healthy Migrant”
Belgium’s African migrants often begin with better health than native Belgians — fewer chronic illnesses, stronger community ties. But over time, as they face exclusion, unemployment, and housing barriers, their health advantage fades.
Migration may change your address, but not the architecture of inequity.
America: The Safety Net is Fraying
Now, back home.
African Americans already live nine years shorter than Swedes and four years shorter than the average American. For millions, SNAP and WIC are not “entitlements” — they are essential medicines against hunger, stress, and chronic disease.
When lawmakers threaten to cut them, they aren’t balancing a budget —they’re subtracting years from people’s lives.
Read WANDA’s full op-ed with Civil Eats:👉 We Need a Food Bill of Rights
Visit: foodbillofrights.org to learn how you can join the movement to enshrine the right to food and health in American law.
🍲 The Real Shutdown Is Moral
When the government shuts down, communities don’t. Mothers still cook. Neighbors still share. Elders still teach. That’s not just resilience — that’s resistance.
At WANDA, we call it Food Freedom — the radical act of feeding ourselves and our people in a system that too often refuses to.
Our children deserve full plates, not political hunger games.
📅 Upcoming Webinar: “SNAP/EBT: What Happens If It Ends?”
Join WANDA and the National Council of Negro Women, Inc.
📆 Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 7–8 PM EST
We’ll break down:
What it really means if SNAP/EBT stop
Who will be most affected
Affordable food alternatives and community resources
Q&A and open discussion
🌍 Global Lessons for a Local Revolution
💪🏾What We Demand: A Food Bill of Rights
As WANDA marks a decade of advocacy, we call on policymakers and partners to stand with us in demanding:
🥬 A Food Bill of Rights guaranteeing access to nutritious, culturally relevant food for all
💊 Food as Medicine programs available in every community
👩🏾🌾 Investment in Black women leaders as architects of equitable food systems
💸 Expansion — not reduction — of SNAP and WIC
Because while America debates who “deserves” food and care, Sweden, Belgium, and England are proving daily that human dignity is the best public health policy.
✊🏾Final Word
If governments can shut down, we can rise up.
We are the Food Freedom Fighters —turning sisterhood into systems, meals into movements, and trauma into transformation.
Because when we feed Black women, we feed the future. And the future can’t wait for Congress to care.
Join the Movement:🔗 foodbillofrights.org🎬 Watch “Little WANDA Fights to Save SNAP and WIC”🗓️ RSVP for the Oct 30 SNAP/EBT Webinar with NCNW💌 Subscribe to WANDA for updates, events, and calls to action.